Origination and destination based routing

ABSTRACT

One or more aspects of the disclosure relate to various functions and processes related to routing of calls based on origination and/or destination information. In one aspect, a method may comprise receiving a request for a call session, and the request may include an indicator that may indicate whether to route a call based on origination and/or destination information of the call session. Based on the indicator, a routing element may determine whether the call session should be routed based on origination information and/or destination information.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/447,699, filed Apr. 16, 2012, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 12/913,634, filed Oct. 27, 2010, each ofwhich is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

Telephony systems typically route calls based on called partyinformation, such as a destination number, and also sometimes implementrouting policies based on load balancing for call traffic management.However, these systems are not sufficiently flexible or efficient insome situations. For example, where users are re-homed from a firstsub-network to another sub-network within a carrier's network,destination-based routing with load balancing or other similar policiesfor traffic distribution and resource management may be inadequate.Moreover, interconnections between two or more carriers may besignificantly impacted due to traffic shifts that occur when internalsubscriber migrations occur within a carrier's network. Such trafficshifts may typically result in the need for additional trunkinginfrastructure to cater to the traffic pattern shifts, which can becostly and time consuming to implement.

SUMMARY

Some aspects of the disclosure relate to methods, apparatuses, andsoftware for managing routing of calls to and from a network. Suchrouting management may be robust, adaptable, and/or customizable, andmay potentially limit negative effects of call routing networkmodifications on existing networks. For instance, such routing mayprovide a two-phased query approach to search routing data, such asrouting tables, based on origination and destination. The routing tablesmay be partitioned in a way that allows for different tables to be usedfor either origination or destination based routing.

Accordingly, one or more aspects of the disclosure may relate to variousfunctions and process related to routing of calls to a network based on,e.g., origination of a call. For example, a method may includereceiving, at a routing computing device, a call session request, thecall session request including an indicator. The method may furtherinclude determining, based on the indicator, whether the call sessionrequest should be routed based on origination information of the callsession request. In response to determining that the call sessionrequest should be routed based on the origination information of thecall session request, the method may further include sending a firstrequest for information identifying a next destination for the callsession request, wherein the information identifying the nextdestination is determined based on the origination information of thecall session request. Furthermore, the method may include receiving, atthe routing computing device, information identifying a location havingthe information identifying the next destination for the call sessionrequest, in response to sending the first request. The method may alsoinclude receiving, responsive to the second request, the informationidentifying the next destination for the call session request androuting the call session request to the identified next destination.

In another aspect of the disclosure, a next destination may include acall management element connected to at least one communication trunk ofa public switched telephone network, the at least one communicationtrunk corresponding to the origination information of the call sessionrequest. Furthermore, origination information of a call session requestmay include, for example, (1) call session request telephone numberinformation, (2) call session request origin directory numberinformation, (3) rate center information, (4) local routing numberinformation, and/or (5) a unique trunk group identifier. In stillfurther aspects of the disclosure, an indicator used to indicateorigination and/or destination based routing may include a header fieldof a session initiation protocol (SIP) request, such as a trunk groupheader field.

One or more aspects of the disclosure also relate to various functionsand process related to routing of calls to a network based ondestination of the call. For example, a method for routing may furtherinclude sending a first request for information identifying a nextdestination for a call session request. The information identifying thenext destination may be determined based on the destination informationof the call session request in response to determining that the callsession request should be routed based on destination information of thecall session request.

One or more additional aspects of the disclosure relate to variousapparatuses configured determine a destination of a call session. Forexample, an apparatus may include one or more non-transitorycomputer-readable media storing first information identifying a mappingdatabase for origination-based routing and second informationidentifying a first call management element for destination-basedrouting. The apparatus may further include a processor configured toreceive a first request associated with a call session request anddetermine, based on the first request, whether to route the call sessionrequest to the mapping database or to the first call management element.A processor of an apparatus may further be configured to in response todetermining that the origination information corresponds to the, send aresponse identifying the mapping database. Additionally, the processorof an apparatus may be configured to send a response identifying thefirst call management element in response to determining that theorigination information does not correspond to the first information.The processor of an apparatus may further be configured to send aresponse identifying the first call management element in response todetermining that the origination information does not correspond to thefirst information.

In further aspects of the disclosure, one or more non-transitorycomputer-readable media of an apparatus may store a mapping database,wherein the mapping database associates a plurality of call managementelements with one or more call session request origins. The processor ofthe apparatus may further be configured to receive a second requestincluding origination information of the call session request and basedon the origination information, identify, from the mapping database asecond call management element from the plurality of call managementelements.

The preceding presents a simplified summary in order to provide a basicunderstanding of some aspects of the disclosure. The summary is not anextensive overview of the disclosure. It is neither intended to identifykey or critical elements of the disclosure nor to delineate the scope ofthe disclosure. The summary merely presents some concepts of thedisclosure in a simplified form as a prelude to the description below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure is illustrated by way of example and not limitedin the accompanying figures in which like reference numerals indicatesimilar elements and in which:

FIG. 1A illustrates an example system through which calls may be routedto a network according to one or more aspects described herein.

FIG. 1B illustrates another example system through which calls may berouted to a network according to one or more aspects described herein.

FIG. 2 illustrates an additional example system through which calls maybe routed to a network according to one or more aspects describedherein.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example computing device on which the variouselements described herein can be implemented.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example method for routing a call session based onrouting information according to one or more aspects described herein.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example method for indicating origination-basedrouting for a call session according to one or more aspects describedherein.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example method for determining routing based on anindicator according to one or more aspects described herein.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example method for performing origination-basedrouting according to one or more aspects described herein.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example method for performing destination-basedrouting according to one or more aspects described herein.

FIG. 9A illustrates an example method for using an origination-basedrouting data according to one or more aspects described herein.

FIG. 9B illustrates an example origination-based routing data accordingto one or more aspects described herein.

FIG. 10A illustrates an example method for using origination-basedmapping according to one or more aspects described herein.

FIG. 10B illustrates an example origination-based mapping according toone or more aspects described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description of various illustrative embodiments,reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a parthereof, and in which is shown, by way of illustration, variousembodiments in which aspects of the disclosure may be practiced. It isto be understood that other embodiments may be utilized, and structuraland functional modifications may be made, without departing from thescope of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1A illustrates an example system through which calls may be routedaccording to one or more aspects described herein. FIG. 1B illustratesanother example system through which calls may be routed according toone or more aspects described herein. The example systems of FIGS. 1Aand 1B may include rate centers 101A, 101B and 101C and call managementcomputing devices such as servers (CMSs) 150A and 150B. Three ratecenters and two CMSs are included for illustrative purposes, and eachexample system may include any number of rate centers and/or CMSs. Eachgrouping identified by each rate center 101A-C may include a pluralityof users, telephones and/or telephone numbers. Furthermore, each ratecenter may include a plurality of users, telephones and/or telephonenumbers in a particular geographic area. Calls within a rate center101A, 101B or 101C may be considered, for example, local calls, whereascalls made from one rate center to another rate center may beconsidered, for example, long-distance calls. However, this is notalways the case. One having ordinary skill in the art would appreciatethat elements 101A-C may alternatively represent individual users,telephones and/or telephone numbers.

CMSs 150A and 150B may route one or more calls originating from one ormore rate centers 101A, 101B and 101C to a network 160, such as a publicswitched telephone network (PSTN) or another external network such as aVoIP network. CMSs 150A and 150B may include switches that route callsfrom rate centers 101A-C to switching centers 170A and 170B located inor associated with network 160. In some embodiments, switching centers170A and 170B may represent local exchange carriers (LECs), such aslocal telephone companies. In other embodiments, switching centers 170Aand 170B may connect CMSs 150A and 150B to LECs.

CMSs 150A and 150B may be connected to switching centers 170A and 170Blocated in network 160 through one or more trunk groups (e.g., elements151A, 151B, 151C and 151D). Each trunk group may further include one ormore trunks. Each trunk may be shared by multiple users, telephones,telephone numbers and/or rate centers. For example, each trunk 151A-Dmay represent a shared communication channel, such as one or morephysical lines and/or communication frequencies.

In the example system of FIG. 1A, rate centers 101A, 101B and 101C maybe connected directly to CMSs 150A and 150B. Alternatively, rate centers101A-C may be connected indirectly to CMSs 150A and 150B, such as bybeing connected to other hardware and/or software devices and/orcommunication links, which in turn may be connected to CMSs 150A and150B. For example, as will be further described with respect to FIG. 2,call sessions originating from rate centers 101A-C may route through oneor more Internet Protocol (IP) Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) 210, routeproxy 230, routing database 240, and/or other route proxies or routingdatabases before reaching CMSs 150A and 150B. In the example systems ofFIGS. 1A and 1B, each rate center 101A-C may be associated with (e.g.,served by) one or more CMS 150A and 150B. For example, rate centers 101Aand 101B may be associated with CMS 150A, whereas rate center 101C maybe associated with CMS 150B. In the present example, CMS 150A may routecall sessions originating from rate centers 101A and 101B to network160, whereas CMS 150B may route calls originating from rate center 101Cto network 160. Therefore, in the example system of FIG. 1A, callsessions may, by default, be routed based on origination information(e.g., identifiers for rate centers 101A-C) because each rate center101A-C may be associated with one or more CMS 150A-B in a predeterminedmanner.

The example system of FIG. 1B shows an Internet Protocol (IP) MultimediaSubsystem (IMS) 110. In this example, each rate center 101A, 101B and101C may be connected directly to IMS 110. Similar to the example systemof FIG. 1A, rate centers 101A-C may be alternatively connected to otherhardware and/or software structures, which in turn may be connected toIMS 110. IMS 110 may further be connected to CMSs 150A and 150B, viacommunication links 111A and 111B. Additional hardware and softwarestructures may be included between IMS 110 and CMSs 150A and 150B. Forexample, as will be further described with respect to FIG. 2, structuresmay include route proxy 230, routing database 240, and/or other hardwareor software structures.

In some embodiments, the example system of FIG. 1A may represent apre-migration call routing system, and the example system of FIG. 1B mayrepresent a post-migration call routing system. A service provider mayprefer that a migration (e.g., a change in telephony infrastructure)from an example call routing system of FIG. 1A to an example callrouting system of FIG. 1B remain transparent to, for example, network160. In particular, a service provider may prefer a call originatingfrom one of rate centers 101A-C that routes through a particular trunkor trunk group 151A-D in the example system of FIG. 1A (e.g.,pre-migration) to route through the same trunk or trunk group 151A-D inthe example system of FIG. 1B (e.g., post-migration). For example, aservice provider may prefer a call session originating from rate center101A to route through CMS 150A and trunk group 151A to switching center170A. In the example system of FIG. 1A (e.g., pre-migration), callsessions originating from rate center 101A may, by default, routethrough CMS 150A to switching center 170A, via trunk group 151A, becauserate center 101A is associated directly with CMS 150A. On the otherhand, in the example system of FIG. 1B (e.g., post-migration), callsessions originating from rate center 101A might not, by default, routethrough CMS 150A, because rate center 101A is connected to IMS 110, butnot necessarily to CMS 150A. Therefore, in order for a call sessionoriginating from rate center 101A to route through CMS 150A in theexample system of FIG. 1B (post-migration), the system may useorigination information for rate center 101A. Origination informationmay mask changes made to a service provider's call routing system (e.g.,IMS 110 and CMSs 150A-B) from, for example, network 160 and/or networkinterfaces. Therefore, origination-based routing may be advantageouslyused to limit the effect of changes to a service provider'sinfrastructure on, for example, network 160 and/or network interfaces.Such advantages may be achieved by routing calls to interfaces (e.g.,trunk groups) and/or networks (e.g., PSTN) expected by carriers,providers, and/or networks.

In the example systems of FIGS. 1A and 1B, CMSs 150A and 150B mayinclude a predetermined amount of resources (e.g., one or more elements151A, 151B, 151C and 151D) to handle one or more calls. For example, CMS150A may include at least enough resources to handle anticipated callvolumes originating from rate center 101A and passing through switchingcenter 170A, originating from rate center 101A and passing throughswitching center 170B, originating from rate center 101B and passingthrough switching center 170A, and originating from rate center 101B andpassing through switching center 170B. Additionally, CMS 150B mayinclude at least enough resources to handle anticipated call volumesoriginating from rate center 101C and passing through switching center170A and originating from rate center 101C and passing through switchingcenter 170B. In other examples, CMSs 150A and 150B may include enoughresources to handle calls originating from any rate center 101 andpassing through any switching center 170. For example, CMS 150A and CMS150B may each include enough resources to handle anticipated callvolumes originating from rate centers 101A, 101B, or 101C and passingthrough switching centers 170A or 170B.

Origination-based routing as herein described is not limited to routingcalls to a PSTN and may be used in any other system and/or network thatroutes information and/or data. For example, origination-based routingmay be applied to Internet Protocol (IP) routing (e.g., VoIP).Origination information used in IP origination-based routing mayinclude, for example, a data originator's IP address. Furthermore,origination-based routing is not limited to calls and may be used toroute information and/or other content (e.g., audio, video, data, etc.,such as instant messages, text messages, images, and voice mail) in anytype of network, including, but not limited to, analog or digitalnetworks, coaxial cable networks, optical fiber networks, hybridfiber/coax networks (HFC), cellular telephone wireless networks, localwireless networks (e.g., WiMAX), satellite networks, etc.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example system through which calls may be routedto a network according to one or more aspects described herein. Inparticular, FIG. 2 may provide more detail to the example call routingsystem shown in FIG. 1B and previously described. The example system ofFIG. 2 may include rate centers 201A-E, Internet Protocol (IP)Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) 210, one or more route proxies (e.g., routeproxy 230), one or more routing databases (e.g., routing database 240)and/or call management servers (CMSs) 250A-C. As illustrated in FIG. 2,components of a call routing system may communicate with each otherand/or with other devices and/or networks 260, such as a PSTN, otheron-net and off-net networks (not shown), and/or other service providers(not shown). Furthermore, the devices of FIG. 2 may be configured tocommunicate using one or more Internet Protocol-based communicationprotocols, such as session initiation protocol (SIP) or extensiblemessaging and presence protocol (XMPP). The details of an exampleembodiment utilizing SIP will be discussed below.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example computing device and/or software on whichany of the various elements described herein can be implemented. Thecomputing device 300 may include one or more processors 301, which mayexecute instructions of a computer program to perform any of thefeatures described herein. The instructions may be stored in any type ofcomputer-readable medium, to configure the operation of the processor301. For example, instructions may be stored in a memory such as aread-only memory (ROM) 302 or random access memory (RAM) 303, removablemedia 304 such as a Universal Serial Bus (USB) drive, compact disk (CD)or digital versatile disk (DVD), floppy disk drive, or any other desirednon-transitory and/or tangible storage medium. Instructions may also bestored in an attached (or internal) hard drive 305. The computing device300 may include one or more output devices, such as a display 306 (or anexternal television), and may include one or more output devicecontrollers 307, such as a video processor. There may also be one ormore user input devices 308, such as a remote control, keyboard, mouse,touch screen, microphone, etc. The computing device 300 may also includeone or more network interfaces, such as input/output circuits 309 (suchas a network card) to communicate with a network 310 (e.g., network 160or 260) and/or directly with another device. The network interface maybe a wired interface, wireless interface, or a combination of the two.In some embodiments, the interface 309 may include a modem (e.g., acable modem), and network 310 may include the communication lines of thenetworks previously described (e.g., PSTN, wholesale carrier, telephonycarrier, VoIP carrier, etc.). In further examples, the interface 309 mayinclude an Ethernet connection, a universal serial bus (USB) port, awireless connection, or any other type of communication port.

The FIG. 3 example is an illustrative hardware configuration.Modifications may be made to add, remove, combine, divide, etc.components as desired. Additionally, the components illustrated may beimplemented using basic computing devices and components, and the samecomponents (e.g., processor 301, storage 302, user interface, etc.) maybe used to implement any of the other computing devices and componentsdescribed herein.

One or more aspects of the disclosure may be partially or fully embodiedin computer-usable data and/or computer-executable instructions, such asin one or more program modules, executed by one or more computingdevices or other devices. Generally, program modules may include one ormore routines, programs, objects, components, and/or data structures,etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract datatypes when executed by a processor in a computing device. The computerexecutable instructions may be stored on one or more computer readablemedia such as a hard disk, optical disk, removable storage media,memory, etc. As will be appreciated by one of skill in the art, thefunctionality of the program modules may be combined or distributed asdesired in various embodiments. In addition, the functionality may beembodied in whole or in part in firmware and/or hardware equivalentssuch as integrated circuits, field programmable gate arrays (FPGA), andthe like. Particular data structures may be used to more effectivelyimplement one or more aspects as described herein, and such datastructures are contemplated within the scope of computer executableinstructions and computer-usable data described herein.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example method for routing a call session based onrouting information according to one or more aspects described herein.For illustrative purpose only, the method will be discussed withreference to the system of FIG. 2. In step 410, route proxy 230, forexample, may receive a call session initiation request including anidentifier identifying whether to route a call session based onorigination or destination information. In step 420, route proxy 230, inconjunction with routing database 240, may use a received identifier todetermine whether to route a call session based on originationinformation or destination information. In step 430, route proxy 230 mayuse routing database 240 to determine the next destination of the callsession based on origination or destination information. A nextdestination may include, e.g., one of call management servers 250A-C. Instep 440, route proxy 230 may route a call session to the nextdestination (e.g., one of call management servers 250A-C) determined indetermining step 430. FIG. 4 illustrates an overview call routingmethod, and example call routing methods will be described more fullywith respect to FIGS. 5-10.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example method for indicating origination-basedrouting for a call session according to one or more aspects describedherein. Some or all of the steps illustrated in FIG. 5 may, in certainembodiments, be performed by IMS 210. IMS 210 may be configured toreceive a call session (e.g., a call session initiation request) fromrate centers 201A-E. In step 510, IMS 210 may receive a call session(e.g., a call session initiation request) from one of rate centers201A-E. Each rate center 201A-E may include multiple users, telephonesand/or telephone numbers, so a call session request may ultimatelyoriginate from one or more users, telephones and/or telephone numbers.For purposes of the following description, call sessions will beindicated as originating from one of rate centers 201A-E. However, oneof ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that call sessions mayoriginate, for example, from one or more users, telephones, telephonenumbers, and/or rate centers. A user in one of rate centers 201A-E mayinitiate a call session, for example, by dialing a destination phonenumber. One or more origination identifiers and/or other information maybe associated with a rate center 201A-E. For example, originationidentifiers may include a telephone number, a directory number,information identifying a rate center, IP address, a local routingnumber, and/or a unique trunk group identifier. Furthermore, originationidentifiers may be predetermined (e.g., assigned), for example, by aservice provider associated with a user, telephone, telephone numberand/or rate center 201A-E. Similar identifiers may also be assigned todestination users, telephones, telephone numbers and/or rate centers(not shown).

IMS 210 may further be configured to add a new indicator or modify anexisting indicator in a received call session request to indicatewhether a call session should be routed based on origination informationor destination information. In step 520, IMS 210 may indicate in aheader and/or data field of a received call session request whether toroute a call session based on origination information or destinationinformation. For example, IMS 210 may add a new header or modify anexisting header, such as a trunk group (TGRP) header field, included ina session initiation protocol (SIP) call session initiation request. Atrunk group header value of 1001 may indicate, for example, thatorigination-based routing should be attempted, whereas a trunk groupheader value of 1000 may indicate, for example, that destination-basedrouting should be attempted. One of ordinary skill in the art wouldrecognize that any form of identifier may be used so long as anidentifier indicating origination-based routing differs from anidentifier indicating destination-based routing. An indicator fororigination or destination-based call routing need not be included in atrunk group header field and may be included in any field of a SIP callsession initiation request. For example, an indicator may be included ina P-asserted-identity header field, a From header field, or a Diversionheader field. Furthermore, the indicator need not be included in aheader field, but may be included in any data field of a call sessioninitiation request.

Headers (e.g., a TGRP header) or other data fields included in a callsession request may also be used to indicate the type of call for a callsession. Call types include, but are not limited to, local, toll, longdistance, and international calls. For example, a trunk group headervalue of 1001 may indicate that the call is a local call and thatorigination-based routing should be attempted. A trunk group headervalue of 2001, on the other hand, may indicate that the call is a tollcall and that origination-based routing should be attempted. Callsession header and data fields may also be advantageously used toindicate any other characteristic or feature of the call session.

IMS 210 may further be configured to forward a received call session tothe next destination (e.g., hop) in a call route, as illustrated, forexample, in step 530. The forwarded call session may include an appendedor modified header or data field indicating, for example, origination ordestination-based routing and/or call type. In some embodiments, IMS 210may forward the call session to a route proxy 230. In other embodiments,IMS 210 may forward the call session to an intermediate device, such asa universal gateway controller. The intermediate device may subsequentlyforward the call session to route proxy 230, with or without modifyingthe header and/or data fields of the call session.

FIGS. 6-8 illustrate example methods for receiving a call session andindicator(s), determining the next routing destination for a receivedcall session based on a received indicator(s), and forwarding a callsession to the next routing destination. The steps illustrated in FIGS.6-8 may be performed, for example, by route proxy 230. In somearrangements, the route proxy 230 may operate as a SIP routing proxy.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example method for determining routing based on anindicator according to one or more aspects described herein. Route proxy230 may be configured to receive, from IMS 210, for example, a callsession initiation request and/or any other information regarding a callsession, as illustrated in step 610. A received call session initiationrequest may include an indicator (e.g., in a TGRP header) indicatingwhether to route the call session using origination or destinationinformation. Route proxy 230 may also be configured to create a requestfor a routing database based on information received in the call sessioninitiation request. For example, route proxy 230 may create a databasequery based on the value of a received indicator (e.g., indicatorindicating origination or destination-based routing). Based on thereceived indicator, route proxy 230 may determine whether a call sessionshould be partially or fully routed based on origination information ordestination information.

In step 620, route proxy 230 may determine whether origination-basedrouting has been indicated. Route proxy 230 may read a receivedindicator (e.g., TGRP header value) to determine whetherorigination-based routing is preferred. For example, an indicator valueof 1001 may indicate that origination-based routing is preferred. Instep 630, if origination-based routing is preferred (as determined instep 620), route proxy 230 may perform an origination-based routingroutine, as will be described more fully with respect to FIG. 7. In step640, route proxy 230 may determine whether destination-based routing hasbeen indicated. For example, an indicator value of 1000 may indicatethat destination-based routing is preferred. In step 650, ifdestination-based routing is preferred (as determined in step 640),route proxy 230 may perform destination-based routing, as will bedescribed more fully with respect to FIG. 8.

In step 660, if neither origination-based routing nor destination-basedrouting is indicated (step 620: No; step 640: No), route proxy 230 mayattempt one or more default routing routines. Furthermore, route proxy230 may perform one or more default routing routines if, for example,the route proxy 230 is unable to determine the type of routing preferred(e.g., error in header and/or data fields, inability to read headerand/or data fields, etc.) Default routing routines may include, forexample, routines based on call type (e.g., local, toll, long-distance,international, etc.), routines based on relationships betweenorigination and destination service providers (e.g., a call originatingfrom a number that is licensed/owned/assigned by service provider Adestined for another number licensed/owned/assigned by service providerA or for a number that is licensed/owned/assigned by a service providerB), or least cost routing. Furthermore, route proxy 230 may attempt toperform one or more default routine prior to attempting to route basedon origination or destination information, and one or more defaultroutine after. Furthermore, default routines may be stored on the sameor different routing database(s) 240 as the origination-based routinesand destination-based routines.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example method for performing origination-basedrouting according to one or more aspects described herein. Route proxy230 may be configured to interact with one or more routing database(s)(e.g., routing database 240) to determine a next call sessiondestination. In step 710, route proxy 230 may send a request to searchorigination-based routing data, such as a data table, included in arouting database (e.g., routing database 240). An origination-basedrouting data table will be described more fully with respect to FIGS. 9Aand 9B. Each request may further include origination and/or destinationinformation (e.g., telephone number, directory number, rate centerinformation, local routing number for origin rate center 201A-E ordestination rate center, and/or a unique trunk group identifier).

In step 720, route proxy 230 may receive a response from routingdatabase 240. Information received in the response may include, forexample, information identifying a next destination for a call sessionrequest. Identifiers for a next destination may include, but are notlimited to, a uniform resource identifier (URI), such as a uniformresource name (URN) or a uniform resource locator (URL), and/or a listof possible next destination(s) and/or routes. Identifiers may alsoinclude domain name information, such as a fully qualified domain namethat indicates a location in a Domain Name System, an IP address, and/orother identifiers that route proxy 230 may use to identify a nextdestination, such as an identifier that is uniquely recognizable byroute proxy 230. The received identifier may be used by the route proxy230 to determine, for example, the next destination of the call (e.g.,the next “hop” for the call). For example, an identifier received fromrouting database 240 may indicate one of CMSs 250A-C or another routingtable/database as the next destination for a call.

In step 730, route proxy 230 may determine whether the next destinationof a call is origination-based. For example, route proxy 230 maydetermine a next destination corresponding to a received identifier(e.g., URI, etc.). In step 740, if the identifier indicates that thenext destination is origination-based (step 730: Yes), route proxy 230may send a request to search origination-based mapping data, such as ina dedicated table. The request may further include informationidentifying a call session origin, such as a telephone number, directorynumber, rate center information, a local routing number, and/or a uniquetrunk group identifier. The information identifying a call sessionorigin may be indicated in a header and/or other data field of therequest message. If the request message is a SIP request, for example,call origin information may be included in one or more header fields ofthe SIP request, including, but not limited to, a trunk group header, aDiversion header, a P-asserted-identity (PAID) header, and a Fromheader. Route proxy 230 may further read an identifier to determine theaddress and/or location of an origination-based mapping table. In someaspects of the disclosure, call session origin information might not beincluded in the route proxy request. For example, informationidentifying a call session origin may be stored in an originationinformation database, and a request to search an origination-basedmapping table may include information, such as a pointer, that may beused to locate call session origin information stored in the originationinformation database. Origination-based mapping data (e.g., included inan origination-based mapping table) may be included in the same routingdatabase as the origination-based routing data (e.g., routing database240). Alternatively, the origination-based mapping data may be includedin a routing database different from routing database 240. Anorigination-based mapping data table will be described more fully withrespect to FIGS. 10A and 10B.

In step 750, the route proxy 230 may receive a response from theorigination-based mapping table (e.g., routing database 240). Theresponse may include, for example, an identifier (e.g., URI, URL, etc.)for the second destination (e.g., second “hop”) of the call session. Anindicated second destination may correspond to information identifying acall session origin sent to the origination-based mapping table by routeproxy 230 (e.g., in step 740). In particular, the second destination maybe a call management element (e.g., one of call management servers250A-C) corresponding to the call session origin. Furthermore, anidentified call management element may be connected, directly orindirectly, to a trunk or trunk group of network 260. Therefore, a callorigin (e.g., one of rate centers 201A-E) may correspond to one or moretrunks or trunk groups of network 260. In step 760, route proxy 230 mayroute the call session to the second destination (e.g., a CMS 250A-C)corresponding to the received identifier.

Prior to routing a call session to a second destination (e.g., one ofCMSs 150A-C), route proxy 230 may modify an origination-based routingindicator (e.g., TGRP header), where the origination-based routingindicator may, for example, have been added to and/or modified in a callsession header or data field by IMS 210, in step 520. In particular,route proxy 230 may reset an origination-based routing indicator to avalue expected by CMSs 250A-C in order to, for example, take advantageof existing pre-migration infrastructure. A value expected by CMSs250A-C may include, for example, a pre-migration value. For example, iforigination-based routing was indicated (e.g., TGRP header value=1001),route proxy 230 may reset the indicator (e.g., TGRP header value=1000)prior to forwarding the call session to the indicated call managementelement.

If, in step 720, an identifier received with a response indicates that anext destination is not origination-based (step 730: No), route proxy230 may, in step 770, route the call session to a next destination(e.g., a CMS 250A-C) corresponding to the received identifier, withoutfirst routing the call session to, for example, an origination-basedmapping table.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example method for performing destination-basedrouting according to one or more aspects described herein. Route proxy230 may be configured to interact with one or more routing database(s)(e.g., routing database 240) to determine a next call sessiondestination. In step 810, route proxy 230 may send a request to search adestination-based routing table (e.g., a routing database 240).Destination-based routing data (e.g., included in a destination-basedrouting table) may, but need not, be located within the same routingdatabase 240 as origination-based routing data tables and/ororigination-based mapping data tables. Each request may further includeorigination and/or destination information (e.g., telephone number,directory number, rate center information, local routing number fororigin rate center 201A-E or a destination rate center, and/or a uniquetrunk group identifier).

In step 820, route proxy 230 may receive a response from routingdatabase 240. Information received in the response may include, forexample, information (e.g., URI, URN, URL, etc.) identifying a nextdestination or a list of possible next destinations for a call session.The received identifier may be used by route proxy 230 to determine, forexample, the next destination of the call (e.g., the next “hop” for thecall). For example, an identifier received from routing database 240 mayindicate one of CMSs 250A-C or another routing table and/or database asthe next destination for a call. In step 830, route proxy 230 may routethe call session to a next destination (e.g., a CMS 250A-C)corresponding to the received identifier.

Prior to routing a call session to an indicated next destination, routeproxy 230 may modify a destination-based routing indicator (e.g., TGRPheader), where the destination-based routing indicator may, for example,have been added to and/or modified in a call session header or datafield by IMS 210, in step 520. In particular, route proxy 230 may resetthe origination-based routing indicator to a value expected by CMSs250A-C. A value expected by CMSs 250A-C may include, for example, apre-migration value.

FIG. 9A illustrates an example method for using origination-basedrouting data (e.g., data table) according to one or more aspectsdescribed herein. FIG. 9B illustrates an example origination-basedrouting data (e.g., structure, configuration, organization, etc. ofinformation) corresponding to the example method of FIG. 9A, accordingto one or more aspects described herein. The steps illustrated in FIG.9A may be performed, for example, by routing database 240 by searchingthe data illustrated in FIG. 9B (e.g., screen received data, route toservice provider customer, etc.). In some aspects, searching and/orusing tables may include, for example, finding and/or matchinginformation (data) included in the table. Routing database 240 may, forexample, perform the steps illustrated in FIG. 9A after receiving arequest from route proxy 230, the request including informationidentifying an origin and/or destination of a call session (e.g.,telephone number, directory number, information identifying an originrate center, local routing number, unique trunk group identifier, etc.).The routing database 240 may be configured to receive a request, accessinformation responsive to the request, and/or transmit routinginformation responsive to the request. The routing database 240 maycontain routing information, such as routing and/or mapping data (e.g.,origination-based routing data, destination-based routing data,origination-based mapping data, default data, etc.) and policies, thatallows the routing proxy 230 to proceed with routing the call to itsdestination. In one or more embodiments, the routing database 240 may bean intelligent routing database, such as an E.164 Number Mapping (ENUM)database.

In step 910, routing database 240 may screen received data for validity.For example, routing database 240 may verify that received originationinformation (e.g., telephone number, directory number, informationidentifying an origin rate center, local routing number, unique trunkgroup identifier, etc.) is provided in a format recognizable by therouting database. In some aspects of the disclosure, routing database240 may perform data mapping so that the received data may be matched(e.g., compared) with information included in the routing database.

In step 920, routing database 240 may determine, based on receiveddestination information, whether the destination is the same as or apeer of the call origin's service provider. A peer relationship may beestablished, for example, by a contractual relationship between aservice provider and another service provider. Furthermore, a peerservice provider may be on a different network from a service provider.In step 930, if a destination is a service provider user (e.g.,customer) or peer (step 920: Yes), routing database 240 may determine arouting routine and/or next destination based on a result of searching,for example, the “Route to Service Provider customer” and/or “Route toService Provider associate,” tables (shown in FIG. 9B).

In step 940, routing database 240 may determine, based on receivedorigination information (e.g., telephone number, directory number,information identifying an origin rate center, local routing number,unique trunk group identifier, etc.) or indicator information (e.g., aTGRP indicator), whether to route a call based on originationinformation. In step 940, if, based on received origination or indicatorinformation, routing database 240 determines that origination-basedrouting is preferred (step 940: Yes), routing database 240 may determinea routing routine and/or next destination based on a result ofsearching, for example, “Route based on origination information” tables(shown in FIG. 9B). Furthermore, by searching and determining a match inthe “Route based on origination information” tables, routing database240 may determine that the next destination for a call session is anorigination-based mapping table, which will be described more fully inFIGS. 10A and 10B.

In step 960, routing database 240 may determine, based on receivedinformation, whether to route a call based on destination information.In step 970, if, based on received information, routing database 240determines that destination-based routing is preferred (step 960: Yes),routing database 240 may determine a routing routine and/or nextdestination based on a result of searching, for example, “Route based ondestination information” tables (shown in FIG. 9B). For example, bysearching and determining a match in the “Route based on destinationinformation” data tables, routing database 240 may determine that thenext destination for a call session is a call management element (e.g.,one of call management servers 250A-C). Furthermore, if desired, alldestination-based routed call sessions may be forwarded to the same callmanagement element (e.g., call management server 250A).

In step 980, if no matches to the “Route to Service Provider user,”“Route to Service Provider associate,” “Route based on originationinformation” and “Route based on destination information” tables havebeen made, routing database 240 may determine a routing routine and/ornext destination based on a result of searching, for example, the“Default Route” tables (shown in FIG. 9B). Default routing routines mayinclude, for example, routines based on call type (e.g., local, toll,long-distance, international, etc.), routines based on origination anddestination service providers (e.g., a call originating from a numberthat is licensed/owned/assigned by service provider A destined toanother number licensed/owned/assigned by service provider A or to anumber that is licensed/owned/assigned by service provider B), or leastcost routing.

In each of steps 930, 950, 970 and 980, after determining the type ofrouting to perform, routing database 240 may determine the nextdestination for the call session. For example, routing database maydetermine an identifier (e.g., URI, etc.) for the next destination of acall session. Routing database 240 may send a response with thedetermined identifier to the route proxy 230. Alternatively, routingdatabase 240 may send a list of possible routes and/or identifiers forthe call session to the route proxy 230. Furthermore, one of ordinaryskill in the art will appreciate that the steps illustrated in FIG. 9Amay be performed in other than the recited order, and that one or moresteps illustrated may be optional in accordance with aspects of thedisclosure. For example, routing database 240 may determine whether toroute based on origination information (e.g., step 940) prior todetermining whether to route based on whether a destination isassociated with the service provider or is a peer of the serviceprovider (e.g., step 920).

FIG. 10A illustrates an example method for using origination-basedmapping according to one or more aspects described herein. FIG. 10Billustrates an example origination-based mapping corresponding to theexample method of FIG. 10A, according to one or more aspects describedherein. The steps illustrated in FIG. 10A may be performed, for example,by routing database 240 by using the tables illustrated in FIG. 10B(e.g., extracted origination information (OI), next destinationcorresponding to OI, etc.). Routing database 240 may, for example,perform the steps illustrated in FIG. 10A after receiving a request fromroute proxy 230, the request including information identifying an originand/or destination of a call session (e.g., telephone number, directorynumber, information identifying an origin rate center, local routingnumber, unique trunk group identifier, etc.).

In step 1010, routing database 240 may extract call originationinformation (e.g., telephone number, directory number, informationidentifying an origin rate center, local routing number, unique trunkgroup identifier, etc.) from a header and/or other data field of areceived request. If the request is a SIP request, for example, callorigination information may be extracted from one or more header fieldsof the SIP message, including, but not limited to, a trunk group header,a Diversion header, a P-asserted-identity (PAID) header, and a Fromheader. Alternatively, call origination information might not include anorigin local routing number. In this example, routing database 240 mayderive an origin local routing number from other origination informationincluded in the request (e.g., telephone number, directory number,information identifying an origin rate center, unique trunk groupidentifier, etc.). For example, origination-based mapping table 1001 mayinclude an additional table for converting received call originationinformation (e.g., telephone number, directory number, informationidentifying an origin rate center, unique trunk group identifier, etc.)to a local routing number.

In step 1020, routing database 240 may determine the next destination ofa call session based on extracted and/or derived call originationinformation. In particular, routing database may determine a callmanagement element (e.g., one of call management servers 250A-C)corresponding to extracted and/or derived call origination informationas the next destination of a call session. Furthermore, the callmanagement element may be connected to one or more trunks or trunkgroups of a PSTN or other network, so that a call may be routed based onorigination information of the call. The call management element may bedetermined, for example, by using the “Next Destination corresponding toOI” tables shown in FIG. 10B.

In step 1030, routing database 240 may determine whether the nextdestination (identified in step 1020) is a valid next destination. Aninvalid next destination may include, for example, a destination thatdoes not exist or is out of operation. In some arrangements, routingdatabase 240 may determine validity based on information included in therouting database, such as configured information. In step 1040, if thenext destination is valid (step 1030: Yes), routing database 240 maysend a response to route proxy 230, including an indicator identifying anext destination (e.g., a URI for one of CMSs 250A-C). In someembodiments, the response may be a SIP response. In further embodiments,a next destination indicator may be included in a header field of a SIPresponse. In step 1050, if a determined next destination is invalid(step 1030: No), routing database 240 may send a response to route proxy230 indicating that a next destination could not be determined fromreceived origination information. Additionally or alternatively, routingdatabase may use default tables (e.g., “Default Next Destination” tablesshown in FIG. 10B) to determine a default next destination of a callsession, such as a predetermined next destination. A default nextdestination may include, for example, a particular CMS (e.g., CMS 250A).In addition to CMSs, next destinations may include, for example, peers,information gateways such as media gateways, and/or destinationsidentified by an announcement.

Referring back to FIG. 2, call management servers 250A-C may beconfigured to receive and/or transmit information from a route proxy(e.g., route proxy 230), and/or interface with other networks to routethe call. Other networks may include, for example, network 260, otherwholesale carrier networks, telephony carrier networks, voice-overInternet Protocol (VoIP) carrier networks, etc. In the example shown inFIG. 2, call management servers 250A-C may interface with network 260through trunks or trunk groups.

In some arrangements, call routing elements (e.g., IMS 210, route proxy230, routing database 240, CMSs 250A-C) may be centrally located such asat a central office of the service provider (e.g., a single location).In other arrangements, the functions of the call routing elements may bedistributed throughout the network of a service provider. For example,IMS 210, route proxy 230, routing database 240 and/or CMSs 250A-C may beat different locations remote from each other.

Aspects of the disclosure have been described in terms of illustrativeembodiments thereof. While illustrative systems and methods as describedherein embodying various aspects of the present disclosure are shown, itwill be understood by those skilled in the art, that the disclosure isnot limited to these embodiments. Modifications may be made by thoseskilled in the art, particularly in light of the foregoing teachings.For example, each of the features of the aforementioned illustrativeexamples may be utilized alone or in combination or subcombination withelements of the other examples. For example, any of the above describedsystems and methods or parts thereof may be combined with the othermethods and systems or parts thereof described above.

In one or more arrangements, any and/or all of the steps of the examplemethods described herein may be performed by a computing device (e.g.,computing device 300), performed by a plurality of computing devicesoperating as a computing system (e.g., a network), and/or embodied ascomputer-executable instructions stored on one or more non-transitorycomputer-readable media (e.g., a hard disk, a removable disk, memory,etc.). Furthermore, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciatethat the steps illustrated in the illustrative figures may be performedin other than the recited order, and that one or more steps illustratedmay be optional in accordance with aspects of the disclosure. It willalso be appreciated and understood that modifications may be madewithout departing from the true spirit and scope of the presentdisclosure. The description is thus to be regarded as illustrativeinstead of restrictive on the present disclosure.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A system comprising: a first computingdevice configured to be in communication with a network, the firstcomputing device comprising: one or more processors; and memory storinginstructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, causethe first computing device to: determine, for a call session that hasbeen routed via the network using origin-based information associatedwith an origin of the call session, whether a next destination for thecall session is an origin-based destination; after determining that thenext destination for the call session is an origin-based destination,determine a database corresponding to the origin-based information,wherein the database maps a plurality of origins, comprising the originof the call session, with a plurality of next destinations, comprisingthe next destination for the call session; send a request associatedwith the database; determine, based at least in part on a response tothe request, the next destination for the call session; and cause thecall session to be routed to the next destination for the call session;and a second computing device configured to cause a search of thedatabase and to provide the response to the request, based at least inpart on a result of the search, to the first computing device.
 2. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one ormore processors, further cause the first computing device to: afterdetermining that the next destination for the call session is not anorigin-based destination, determine the next destination based on afurther destination of the call session, wherein the next destinationfor the call session is an intermediate destination.
 3. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the next destination for the call session comprises acall management element.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the requestcomprises the origin-based information.
 5. The system of claim 1,wherein the request indicates a location of the origin-basedinformation.
 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the instructions, whenexecuted by the one or more processors, further cause the firstcomputing device to: send another request associated with anotherdatabase; and determine, based at least in part on a response associatedwith the another database, whether the next destination for the callsession is an origin-based destination.
 7. A method comprising:determining, by a routing computing device and for a call session thathas been routed via a network using origin-based information associatedwith an origin of the call session, whether a next destination for thecall session is an origin-based destination; after determining that thenext destination for the call session is an origin-based destination,determining a database corresponding to the origin-based information,wherein the database maps a plurality of origins, comprising the originof the call session, with a plurality of next destinations, comprisingthe next destination for the call session; sending a request associatedwith the database; determining, based at least in part on a response tothe request, the next destination for the call session; and causing thecall session to be routed to the next destination for the call session.8. The method of claim 7, wherein the next destination for the callsession comprises a call management element.
 9. The method of claim 7,wherein the request comprises the origin-based information.
 10. Themethod of claim 7, wherein the request indicates a location of theorigin-based information.
 11. The method of claim 7, further comprisingsending another request associated with another database, wherein thedetermining whether the next destination for the call session is anorigin-based destination is based at least in part on a responseassociated with the another database.
 12. The method of claim 7, whereinthe database comprises an ENUM database.
 13. A non-transitorycomputer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that,when executed, cause the following to occur: determining, for a callsession that has been routed via a network using origin-basedinformation associated with an origin of the call session, whether anext destination for the call session is an origin-based destination;after determining that the next destination for the call session is anorigin-based destination, determining a database corresponding to theorigin-based information, wherein the database maps a plurality oforigins, comprising the origin of the call session, with a plurality ofnext destinations, comprising the next destination for the call session;sending a request associated with the database; determining, based atleast in part on a response to the request, the next destination for thecall session; and causing the call session to be routed to the nextdestination for the call session.
 14. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the next destination forthe call session comprises a call management element.
 15. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the requestcomprises the origin-based information.
 16. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the request indicates alocation of the origin-based information.
 17. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 13, further comprisingcomputer-executable instructions for sending another request associatedwith another database, wherein the determining whether the nextdestination for the call session is an origin-based destination is basedat least in part on a response associated with the another database.